


On Neutral Ground

by CreativelyChallenged



Category: The Newsroom (US TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Episode: s02e09 Election Night Part II, Gen, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-03
Updated: 2017-04-03
Packaged: 2018-10-14 14:05:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10538034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CreativelyChallenged/pseuds/CreativelyChallenged
Summary: My take on what happens when the festivities end on Election Night.  My first ever ever ever even vague attempt at FanFic - and also I'm the worst editor ever so apologies in advance for typos / errors.





	

At 2am, ACN’s election night coverage finally wraps. Exhausted and exhilarated, Will utters his thanks and goodbyes before leaving the studio as quickly as manners allow, heading straight to Mackenzie’s office.

“Hey, you ready to go? I need to get changed and we’ll be out of here in five minutes.”

Mackenzie looks up from her phone questioningly. “Sure.” A beat passes and awkwardly she follows up. “Go where, Will?”

Will gives her a half smile before replying, “Well, since I’m 53 years old, I really didn’t relish the thought of the ‘your place or mine’ conversation so I arranged a suite at the Mandarin Oriental. I know you want to say there was no need and that you’d have happily come back to mine, I think we can both agree that some things need to be discussed and as we have the rest of the week off anyway, neutral ground might be the best idea for that. Get your go bag – I have the car service bringing me some things.”

He leaves without waiting for a response, determined not to have to spend more time at the AWM building than is absolutely required.

* * * * *

“Lagavulin 16 year; are you expecting a stressful few days ahead?” Mackenzie asks with a wry grin. The suite feels imposing but warm, and Mackenzie is determined to adjust to her temporary digs.

“A vacation isn’t a vacation without good Scotch, Mac, you know that. You want one?”

She silently nods before settling on the sofa, a little apprehensive. The exhaustion that’s filled her body for the last few days is starting to overwhelm her, but she wants to savor these first few moments alone with Will since the whirlwind of his proposal. He hands her a tumbler and sits in the chair opposite her.

A nervous silence fills the room as they both take their first sips of Scotch, before Will tentatively breaks it. “You like the room? I tried to get the Presidential suite but, you know, last minute and all that, this was all they had. Of course they’ve given it some kind of cliché ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ type name – Taipan Suite, I think.”

Mackenzie nods her head to the side and raises an eyebrow. “Will, the room is great, it’s perfect, but we really could have just gone back to your apartment, you didn’t need to book a suite.”

Will’s eyes are fixed nervously on the glass he’s resting on the arm of the chair and he simply shrugs in response. Recognising that he’s not about to be forthcoming in this conversation, Mac takes her chance.

“Why now Will? Two hours prior you’d fired me, fast forward and next thing, out of the blue, you’re proposing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m obviously beyond happy, but I think you can acknowledge that it sort of came from nowhere.”

He takes a while to respond, still looking at his Scotch as he swirls the glass and watches the ice melt.

“I honestly couldn’t say. I don’t want to call it an epiphany, because it’s not that straightforward. When did I know I was still in love with you? Probably about 35 seconds after you arrived in the newsroom. Not seeing you for three years meant I could tell myself I didn’t but as soon as I saw you again I knew I’d lost the battle. So I did what I’d taught myself to do – disguise it with anger.” It’s not until he finishes speaking that he steals a glance at Mackenzie, an apologetic look in his eyes. She nods once and looks at the floor, not entirely sure how to respond. “As for it being out of the blue, I’m sure you’ll recognize that’s not even remotely true. Truth be told, there were a few times in the past couple of years I thought I might be close to telling you how I felt, but I was always able to withdraw back into my anger, or events took a turn that, I guess, gave me an excuse or an out not to say anything.”

“You never told me, you know,” Will continues, more sure of himself this time.

Mackenzie quickly glances up at him. “Never told you what?”

“I didn’t know if you were in love with me. Apart from the conversation about You Better You Bet, you didn’t say anything about how you felt towards me. I’m not blaming you, it’s not like I exactly gave you an opening, but I guess when I wasn’t sure how you felt it was easier to keep the anger going.”

“Is that why you asked me if I’d told you about Brian because I wanted to break up with you? Did you honestly think that? Or worse, do you still?” She takes another sip of her Scotch, a momentary look of sadness crossing her eyes.

“Honestly? I don’t know. I don’t think I did at the time – I think it was revisionist. I think I needed to rationalise everything; that you’d done it, that you’d kept it from me, that you’d told me just when I’d asked you to move in with me, and I couldn’t work my way through the fact that you were telling me about something that had finished a year prior.” Will doesn’t know what else to do, but he gives a little shrug and purses his lips.

Mackenzie shuffles on the sofa, unsure of how to respond. She takes another long, slow sip of Scotch, feeling Will’s eyes on her as she starts to feel her cheeks burn. 

“In retrospect it seems so selfish, but you have to believe me that I thought it was the right thing to do. You’d asked me to move in with you and I was deliriously happy apart from a niggle in the pit of my stomach that just wouldn’t go away. What if we’d bumped into Brian and he’d said something to you? What if I’d let slip months later? What if somebody else told you? I couldn’t get away from the fear of any of those scenarios playing out and how you’d react if we’d been living together or, worse, engaged. I had to tell you, though I don’t think I’d really thought about how hurt you’d be. Again, you know, selfish. Honestly, I think I naively thought that you were so deeply in love with me that you’d forgive me anything.” Mackenzie swigs on her Scotch, contemplating whether to continue. “How wrong I was,” she adds, calmly and resignedly.

At this, it was Will’s turn to shuffle awkwardly and look anywhere but at Mackenzie. 

“Look, Will, you don’t have to say anything. I obviously understand now why you responded the way you did. I’m certain I know you well enough to know that you wouldn’t have proposed if you didn’t trust me but I can promise you, with every fibre of my being, that I will never do anything as stupid as that again. It’s in the past. It was in the past when I told you 5 years ago, and now it’s nothing but ancient history.”

Will looks at her at this, and takes a deep breath. “Mackenzie, I absolutely know that. I trust you. I’ve trusted you for a long time, and if I’m honest I think I forgave you a long time ago. It just took me a little longer than it should to have got it together and tell you how I felt. How I feel.”

Relaxing a little, Mackenzie swings her legs up and onto the sofa, settling against the arm and looking smilingly at Will. “I really do love you, Will. And I really am sorry for my stupidity all those years ago.”

“I’m sorry too. For everything, but especially for the way I’ve treated you since you got back. The women, the barbs, Nina, all of it. Actually now I think about it, it’s kind of a miracle you said yes after everything I’ve put you through.”

Mac, getting sleepy, manages nothing more a small laugh.

“Hey, I think you’ve had enough excitement for one day, and you really need to try and get some sleep. And don’t even think about setting an alarm; in fact, we’re both turning off our phones.” Will rises out his chair and crosses to Mackenzie to help her up. She stumbles into his arms and he guides her to the bedroom.

Allowing the sleepiness to wash over her – she both blames and thanks the Scotch – she immediately sits on the bed and laboriously works her way out of her work clothes and into her shorts and t-shirt whilst Will is brushing his teeth. When he returns from the bathroom, she musters the strength to brush her teeth and wash her face while Will ensures the front desk know they are not to be disturbed and that both of their phones are powered down. She returns to the bedroom, takes one slightly apprehensive look at Will, who pulls back the quilt for her and gives her a calm nod of assurance, enough to get her to clamber in to bed next to him. He puts the quilt back over her, leaves his arm draped across her waist and within what feels like seconds, she’s fast asleep.

Will’s mind continues to roll over a little longer – the thought of the impending lawsuit and all the things he and Mackenzie have yet to discuss playing around in his mind until he, too, allows sleep to take over.


End file.
